i have to go, i have a few things to do ill be bacq later brandon. b. i love you so myuch baby muah* bye guys and my baby...

i have to go, i have a few things to do ill be bacq later brandon. b. i love you so myuch baby muah* bye guys and my baby...

YEY my baby loved my pics... i love him so much,,, brandon i love you you, are my world and it will never be other wise.... hehe muah*****

People keep asking me if I'm okay, so I'm just putting it out there that I'm fine. So please stop asking!!!

Sunday was... interesting. I'll admit it was fun to play with the fake blood, but that stuff smelled so BAD! My hands are stained red.

Saturday was great. Pretty cars!!!!!!!! There was a Stingray, it would've taken me maybe two minutes to hotwire I swear. But the Mustang was prettier, it sounded nice. Of course the lady in the Mercedes that nearly wound up getting t-boned because she wasn't paying attention to the CHERRY RED car heading her way (how you couldn't see it coming I'll never know) may beg to differ.

 The woman just barrels out of a stop sign without looking, we about went off the road, no wait I think we did. Maybe a little. I was too busy trying to not develop a rather intense case of road rage, I did pretty good. She didn't even look back to see if the car was okay. Stupid Mercedes-bad- driving-owner.

I was the only one in my family to get a decent amount of sleep on Saturday night apparently. I did wind up missing Sunday School, but I saw the second service. Everyone did good; the Mullanes were funny, I'm getting a little sick of "Stranger", the crucifiction was good, Chris died well (looking thoroughly beat up), and I made Cami break charecter.  It was more fun backstage, I'll probably be helping back there next week again.

Now it's Monday. Not much has happened so far, it's only second period.Grandparents are gonna be here next week (change of plans) and I'm pretty sure they'll bring an entourage.

I hate my dad. he is so close minded and a prick.

so i am finished with my class and start work tomorrow. it is a little weird that i will pretty much be on my own... hopefully it won't be too bad. i am not excited about going in at 7, but such is life... and such is life that i will be working every other weekend. i am hoping to find a job where i can have a more flexible schedule. but despite those things, i am excited to start. i take my state exam the 14th. hopefully i will pass!

this is totally random, but i want to know what is up with people not wanting to hang out with someone anymore because they are married. seriously. since i have been married i have only managed to keep one friend that hangs out with me on a somewhat regular basis. but even that is not the same like it used to be. is it THAT weird to hang out with a married person??? i don't have cooties. i am still the same rachael i have been... just married. i just don't understand... oh well. to be young and married... haha

well... this has been a random post. hope you enjoyed it. and i hope everyone has a wonderful night!

does anyone want a pen pal?

I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

Ahhhh .....  the joys of Monday mornings?  Joys? What Joys?

I talked to most all the family over the weekend using Yahoo Voice at $0.01/minute ... thus, there isn't anything new and newsworthy to write about today .... thus, I am just babbling.  So, I will close today's blog and do something productive.

ciao ciao

Thinking outrageously I write in cursive
I hide in my bed with the lights on the floor
Wearing three layers of coats and leg warmers
I see my own breath on the face of the door .

Oh I am not quite sleeping
Oh I am fast in bed
There on the wall in the bedroom creeping
I see a wasp with her wings outstretched.



North of Savannah we swim in the palisades
I come out wearing my brother's red hat
There on his shoulder my best friend is bit seven times
He runs washing his face in his hands

Oh how I meant to tease him
Oh how I meant no harm
Touching his back with my hand I kiss him
I see the wasp on the length of my arm

We were in love. We were in love.
Palisades! Palisades! Palisades
I can wait. I can wait.



I can't explain the state that I'm in
The state of my heart - he was my best friend .
Into the car, from the back seat
Oh admiration and falling asleep
All of my powers, day after day
I can tell you, we swaggered and swayed.
Deep in the tower, the prairies below
I can tell you, the telling gets old.
Terrible sting and terrible storm
I can tell you the day we were born.
My friend is gone, he ran away
I can tell you, I love him each day.
Though we have sparred, wrestled and raged
I can tell you I love him each day.
Terrible sting, terrible storm
I can tell you...

I have written on here and forever- I miss Phusebox!

But like I said life has changed so fast, im so nervous to see what my future will be like, but I know and hope it will be awesome . I know it will because I have God in my life, and I know there are going to be ups and downs, but with God beside me im ok.

Life does go by so fast, this place we live in is only brief because were we will be going is even greater. So I guess what Im trying to say is we all should try to live out as best we know for the time we have left , but live it for God and what he wants because he gave me life so I should make my life on what he wants for me , not myself.

Everyone should go and listen to Jason Morant... his music is amazing. This song called Hosanna is so powerful! Definately listen to the whole song!

I hope everyone is having a great week!

God bless

-sarah-

seventeen

woohoo??

http://youtube.com/watch?v=QxLL4HmBv-s


Hello, friends. Watch this video and tell me what you think. It's really short. Turn the sound up.

I thought it was hilarious (mostly because I dislike the man to begin with).

I went to a car show today, pretty cars and some old guys
that have been in this band for over 40 years. 40 years…dang. But there were some
really pretty cars, it was a pretty day, and I pretty much had fun.

   The Prestige
is very interesting movie, the ending was very confusing. I think I need to watch
it again, that’s what I get for not paying attention.

 

Now I’m watching Men In Tights, great movie. I’m trying really
hard not to laugh at my parents, they’re painting Robert’s room and the paint is
starting to get to them. They’re a little loopy. And they have to be at church at
4:00, and I don’t. Hah!

 

Tomorrow is going to be very interesting. Pa and Nana are going
to be here and boy will that make for an interesting conversation *cough cough*

 They’ll be here for about
a month or so, and I’m not sure how things are going to pan out with that, do if
anyone feels like praying for me that’d be great.

Okay well i am superdooper... bored.... okay well... sup????
I am so EXCITED to see the trilogy tomorrow... welll.... i went shopping today... and it was amazing... i saw two of my best friends there... and we shopped together a little... and then i got the CUTEST bermuda shorts... and capris... and this adorable shirt... at goody's and they were all 50% off... i was soooo happy.... not that i had to pay... but i could get alot more bcuz they were cheaper... anyways... i love you alll!!!! I WILL TALK TO YOU LATER....

Tootles

~Emi~

Ummmm... i dont really like asking people to help me, but if you guys *and girls* could pray for me... theres just a lot going on, and i am starting to want to just give up. And the devil is doing EVERYTHING and takeing away EVERYONE he can to make me want to run away from God, and i hate to say it but i am starting to listen to him (the devil that is) i just dont see why all this is happening! Its like after i get over one heart brake my heart shatters!! I need all the help i can get!!
thanks

***  And your life can change drastically in just one minute.... or in my case one phone call.... So live like theres no tomorrow, and love like theres no such thing as heart brake ***

Oh my gosh... i just got back from Lane's house.Ok so on Friday i helped clean the house and got Lane ready for her Dinner Thingy.... When Lane left i worked with Kate *My Horse* and then i played with the kids. Did You Know, that kids can be kinda fun if you really talk to them, i mean, instead of telling them what to do and telling them they're wrong and NO!!! If you talk to them like they are people and not kids, they can be pretty cool. Anyways i thought i would just tell you people that.
MOVING ON,
So later that night we had to go pickup Lane, Lane tells me that Carmen,Tyler and Austin are going to come and ride the next day. I know, I know i should be happy and all..... but i had to ride MY horse... and Kate isn't to swell with other horses + i had only had 10 hours of sleep the past 2 nights. (No not 10 hours each night, 10 hours put together *for all you smart people out there i only had 5 hours of sleep each night!! :P *
Anyway, the next day turnded out pretty Dandy, All though Austin didn't make it and my horse tryed to kill me a few times, it was FUN!! We had a water fight... Oh My Gosh.... ha ha it was so cold but so much fun! Oh, yeah and Tyler had a brush that had scum from the bottom of the horse troff on it, and he preceded to rub it down my leg... yeah so i had green scum on my pants all day long. I got to soak Rilee... and then Lane soaked me (i mean head to toe soked!!) It was a day i wont forget, for many different reasons.... :)
Well this is pretty long and i dont think anyone will read it, but i still.... :)

Grace~~~

I figured out this great way to torture Chris. Just make him watch musicals :D

So now I'm in class again, being a deviant of course.I have to go do a project, so more later!

This Nicole… she looks angry and grouchy… this is what she looks like when she discovers that she has to buy a whole side-view mirror for her blazer because someone knocked the glass out and then the piece that the glass attaches to fell out on her way to campus this morning.

So here is what happened: My mom somehow managed to her hit the driver's side side-view mirror with her shoulder the earlier. She hit it pretty hard because her shoulder has been really sore ever since and yesterday my kid brother found the glass in the driveway where it had fallen out the night before. Apparently the guy I bought it from a year ago knocked the glass out and reattached it with regular silicone, meaning it wasn't very secure in the first place. So I had to drive the damn thing with no side-view mirror yesterday and planned on going to Advanced to get adhesive today. But that would just be too easy.

I was on my way down 96 when I noticed the mirror looked odd, like something was missing, but sometimes I'm just paranoid about my blazer. So I take it to the car wash cause I'm running early and my father was refusing to work on it until I got it washed and it desperately needs an O2 sensor and spark plugs put in it. The thing is getting 13  miles to the gallon when it should be getting 22 and that's really bad considering that gas was $2.51at Walmart with a gift card.

But then I get to campus and realize that something is off, the outer cover for the mirror is hanging off and I get out to fix it after I park. That's when I realize there is piece missing. I got the glass out and tried to put it back, just to make sure I can, and it didn't go back. So when I get home I've got to call Averrit's and pray they have a side-view mirror that fits my blazer and it they don't I have to call Pelham's and pray they do. Then tomorrow morning I get to go get one and put it on. Not cool.

so... 4am and my project that is due at eight am is in the oven on low trying to help the glue dry faster... oy vey... I don't know that I would entierally call it procrastination, more lack of workable time :-p I will deffinitaly sleep well tonight though.

Good call, Ryan...

Too bad though it just gives the kid more attention.

This is my first time to follow American Idol, and quite frankly, I am not too happy about it these days. While people were concerned about Simon's ultra mean remarks to the crazies at auditions, I didn't care. And when Brandon, whom I loved dearly and expected to see in the Top 5 was kicked off, I tried not to care. And then week after that... but now, it's gone too far. First Brandon, then Stephanie, and now CHRIS SLIGH?! You've GOT to be kidding me, America. With Phil Stacey, the best male vocalist in the competition in the bottom three, and there's Sanjaya looking on? No way...

I've never been into network television, but because this is potentially the field I am entering, however, I am trying to give it a shot. American Idol seemed to be the best thing on. But man, the voting's jacked up... I didn't want to be one of those fans who felt they had to vote, but now I think I'm going to have to start voting just to keep anyone good on the show!

So here's my deal with the whole Sanjaya thing... the kid's getting a ton pf publicity. He's still on the show because people ARE making a big deal about him. And people are making a big deal because "awww, he's so cute and Simon's so mean to him", and "wow, did you see that new do?!". Seriously, that kid has got to have a publicist now that must be telling him to do these things to get attention. And it's working. Too well.

Simon may be a jerk, but he's right sometimes, and American Idol is a singing competition. But it's turning into a popularity contest, which is sad. But it's just like everything else in life I suppose...

And that's frustrating to me. Sometimes it seems like talent doesn't even matter. Sometimes personality doesn't even matter. It's just status. If someone is somehow popular, then they're golden, and all eyes are on them. It's just ridiculous...

So yeah, why am I surprised by this whole American Idol gimmick? I've seen it present everywhere. It's how the Homecoming Queen gets chosen. It's how the class president gets chosen. Everything's a popularity contest. Is that the way it's going to be in the "real world" when I'm graduating college and trying to get a job? I sure hope not. I hope people actually evaluate me for my ability, my personality, and my ability to get along with others, and not for meeting some status quo.

But anyhow, I don't everyone to think that I'm bitter about anything, and I especially don't want anyone to think that I don't like popular people at all, or that every single election or contest turns in favor of the most popular person, but it's there a lot... and I'm just rambling... But anyhow, if you watch American Idol at all, and if you ever vote, just think about who actually deserves to win.

Went to youth last night. Had fun...But, I've come to the conclusion that it isn't about having fun, it's about learning and having fellowship with each other.

Storms in life....are like wasps in the summer. They come and go some times they sting other times they don't.

Most people will say that the type of wood and the shape of wood used in an electric guitar is important to the sound produced.  My question is why?

I mean, think about it.  The only thing producing a sound is the vibration of the strings at a certain high tension.  In acoustic guitars, since that vibration is difficult without amplification, the wood is shaped so that a sound hole is produced, a great hollow inside the main body of the guitar which amplifies and allows the strings to resonate.  However, the only thing picking up sound in an electric is the pick-ups, which connect to the input on the guitar and, via a cord to an amp, produce a sound.  So why does the wood affect that?

Here's where I'm coming from.  Personally, I maintain the opinion that people who buy Gibson guitars are primarily paying for a name.  Due to my experiences with them, the price customers must pay for them, and the exorbitant buy-in for small businesses (which is why Chambers doesn't carry Gibson), I sincerely believe that they are the most overrated guitar on the market today.  In all fairness, however, I'm trying to understand what makes a good guitar good before that opinion sets well with me.

Also, one could say that something's greatness is the sum of the greatness of all its part.  Do you agree that that rings true for guitars?

i love you buddy.....
we're gona make it...
daddy knows the way home....

*** for some weird twisted reason i really like this saying.... i guess it was the Bible Study that went with it... but i really like it!! ha every time i get scared or sad i repeat it... i know i am a really odd person, but it helps!! :)

well my name is ashley and there are so many things i like and love... but friends are most fun.....

Thanks for everyone's responses on the last post...

Ok. So, continuing on with this hypothetical situation,

1. What if they guy that decided to never become a Christian actually would have become a Christian later in life if he was not "bothered" by the door-to-door evangelism? And what if the person that DID become a Christian as a result of you would have anyways later in life as well? Is it worth it?

2. Also, Is it worth it if you pushed 50 people to decide never become a Christian (who would have otherwise) just for 1 person to become a Christian right then?


Ok, and I know that this might open up a whole discusion on predesitination. That is not what this is about... whether we have free will or God has predestined everything is beside the point in relation to these questions - at least for this discussion.

What are your thoughts?

  I think i should write something about this trip to Beijing ,not because beijing is so far the farest place i have ever been,not because Beijing is China's capital,but all for what i saw and what i heard.

   1.  My friend Sean said i made a decision very quickly ,and he was very astonished  when i told him by a cellphone message that i was in beijing 3 days after he and his classmates arriving in QingHai province.

   i went there by train ,and arrived in Beijing in the morning on Monday. Like xiamen railstation ,it's also full of people. i didn't have much food on train,so i went to KFC to have porridge(what i really want is to have something hot,because i only eat some bread and some fruits during past 34 hours). and after that it made me felt better.

   i had to go to see my elder brother first .so the first impression of Beijing is the subway there.i think Xiamen's traffic was so far the worst i ever experienced , but compare with Beijing ,Xiamen is far better.  i dared not to get on the subway,the guard who are in uniform would push the people who could not  get on so as to have  the subway's  door closed. and people just kept trying geting on,because most of them are in a hurry to their company to work.and it was around 8:30. i waited till 9:00 and have no idea but to get on.

  if you have experienced Beijing 's traffic,you would think how wise the "one child policy "is! there is a funny story i heard from my brother:

   there is a foreigner who just arrived Beijing for a couple of weeks,and he usually criticized chinese policy ,especilly the "one child policy".he thinks the policy is unhumanistic.one day he took a bus to go  to Er li Tun ,it was very very crowded, he felt about to fart when the bus arrived at another bus station,the door open ,no one got off,but people kept getting on.he was pushed went and fro.he was very angry but have no idea.after a while ,he notice that he didn't feel about to fart,because the fart was pushed inside!! since then,he changed his mind,and never criticized chinese "one child policy"...

   I met my brother and left my luggage to my brother then started my journey around Beijing alone.the first place i decided to go is Tian'an men square. I saw it many times on TV,but i haven't been there.and even more ,i would love to see the cenotaph which was built for memoring  our heros who sacrificed for the country.

it stands  majesticlly in the center of  Tian'an men square facing  the  Tian'an men building ,which used to be the gate of forbidden city.

i supposed to see Chairman Mao's body,but the memorial was under repaired,it was a great pity. theni wandering around Tian'an men square as what i usually do in Xiamen.

 2.   I like travelling very much,and i have a dream of travelling around China,as my father did when he was young. and now i become independent on money ,so i am able to make it true.but that may takes many years.i plan to go out of my province at least twice a year.because of  working ,i don't really have much holidays.

 

CHEVELLE ROCKED!!!
yeah... awesome concert, late night, test in the morning :-p

All's fine in Jakarta ... internet access is very bad today.  We are packing our bags and will go to the hotel shortly - thus, there will likely be no emails / blogs until Saturday.  In case of emergency, those that need to know .. already have my handphone number.

ciao ciao.

this is basically just a venting post for me. there's probably no one even reading anymore. but know that this is not just a sob story so you'll feel bad for me. cause that's DEFINITELY not it. i just want to let those who are curious what's going on with me right now.

-------------------------------------------------------------

so i don't know if any of you know this, but i've struggled with depression for a LONG time. i've always had low self-esteem and didn't ever really believe in myself. i think that's something i'll always struggle with. always.

but yeah. i was put down a lot when i was growing up..not so much from family, but from people outside of my family. they would make comments about me and such, and when you're little hearing someone say that "she needs to lose weight. it looks bad" you don't know any other way to react than to think, you know, "what's wrong with me?" and that's just what i've always thought...still do, to this day.

i've had my run-ins with guys. since i have such low self-esteem, everything that i hear from a guy's mouth that's a compliment, being nice to me, or just talking to me, i cling onto it. i guess i just enjoyed the attention and such. so yeah. i can still be like that, but i'm getting better. but because the guys knew i was like that, they have always taken advantage of me. they know that i'm vulnerable, so they think that, hey, what the heck. yeah.in the past 4 months, i've gone through 2 guys. we never dated. but they did their share of breaking my heart. i'm really hurt and nothing's going to change that for a while. i'm going to really try to stay away from boys for a while. i can't keep getting hurt over and over and over again. and yeah, i'm still young. i can do that. even though it will be hard, i'd much rather have a friend than getting hurt yet again.

a couple summers ago, i was in the process of changing churches. that was one of the hardest times in my life. i grew up with everyone at my old youth group..i knew them all since i was 2. i know this is harsh, but i HATED going to this new church that my parents wanted to try out. it wasn't "for me" and i didn't fit in. i went about 4 or 5 weeks before anyone in the youth group talked to me. pastor nathan was the only one who really made it a point to talk to me. it was bad. my self esteem only went down from there. i felt like i was invisible. literally. i came from a church where i was one of the most popular girls in the youth group to a church where no one knew my name except for the youth pastor because he saw it on a info card. those first few months were really hard.. i hated it there. i just wanted to leave and go back to my old youth group. things did start to look up, and while i've made a lot of new friends & best friends, i still don't feel like i'm completely accepted. i mean, i may be, but when you struggle with yourself on a daily basis, it's hard to feel loved all the time. it REALLY is.

the next thing is high school. for me, high school completely sucks. you are judged the whole freaking time by every freaking person that walks by you in the hallway. being one of the "bigger" girls in the school, i feel like everyone is walking by me and saying "oh my god. she is so fat." i just know they are. i can feel them looking at me and laughing. and like i said, i may be making it all up in my head, but this is what it feels like. i do have my group of friends that i talk to, but there's only a select few who i call "friends". and i only have two TRUE friends. i'm completely honest. and most of the time, i go through every single day putting on a show for everyone..smiling just so people won't ask me what's wrong and why i'm always depressed. I DON'T HAVE A REASON. okay? stop asking. please. and i usually won't have a reason. i'm just like that. it's how i've always been.

i've got a lot of stress on me right now. while battling with depression, there's a bunch of stress at home as well. my aunt is battling cancer, she lives in missouri and i haven't seen her since christmas. i miss her a lot...and i'm constantly thinking about her...all the time. i don't even know when i'll get to see her next. it's crazy. and it gets to the point where i can't sleep most of the time. i will go to school running on about 3-4 hours of sleep...my mind never stops running. i'm constantly thinking about what i need to do the next day, week, month, and year. every night. it goes on. and i can't stop it...and because i'm getting such little sleep, i'm doing horrible in my classes. i even failed english last six weeks.

and because all of this is going on, the smallest things can trigger a bad reaction. it gets pretty nasty. i'll snap and go off on people for no good reason. i'll just completely stop talking for days on end, or i'll just go ballistic.

i'm not proud of my recent actions, but i do take complete responsiblity for them..

and because of my stupidity, i lost a friend today..because i just lost it. i broke loose, and lost a friend over it. i regret it, but there's no way to go back into time and change it all. he told me to never text or call him ever again. yeah. i hate that, but i deserve it in a way.

if you guys have any comments/questions/concern
s. i'll listen and answer them.

i appologise for all of my recent actions. and for the next few months, i WON'T be the same. i can already tell you that. and i probably won't be talking much for a while.

i need to do something about the state of mind i'm in right now. i don't quite like who i am..and i plan on changing that.

just be in prayer for me.
it's just not a good time in my life right now.


thanks to all who read.

That is what I was telling myself today. you know why? Because, for some unknown reason I couldn't get my blender to work. gosh....I need help. Though it was pretty funny when I realized it wasn't plugged in. : )

I GET TO GO TO LANES THIS WEEKEND!!! YES!! MY SISTER HAS TO WORK AND SO I GET TO GO TO LANES!!! YES YES YES!!
LOL well just thought i would tell you!! :)

Branded by GOD

Yep, the concert's tonight. Woo-hoo! Pretty sure I'm going to be sleeping all day tommorow...

Sometimes, no all the time, I wish we could just get on Myspace without having to go to all the trouble of KProxy and things like that. It's really hard to introduce people to Skillet when the sites are either slow, blocked, or unable to be found. It's annoying really.

Chely was burning some of our favorite latin/angolan music to CDs to give to some DJs at our favorite clubs here in Jakarta.  We ran into a bit of a problem as some of the songs were from her iPod and used their proprietary format and was considered "unreadable" .... those podantic iPod folks !!! .... I tried and tried to decode the files with the software that I had ... but to no available.  So I got a bright idea about asking Josh, Chris, and Paul which decoder I should use.  Just I got ready to type the email I paused .....

Well even a blind dog finds a bone once in a while ... I did a quick internet search ... carefully read some descriptions then downloaded a test version of ImTOO .... man that is some slick decoder ... no more than a couple of clicks and presto-mundo ...three files converted from m4a .... to mp3 .... YAHOOO !!!!!!

... bye ... gotta go see my honey ....

   ohh pretty flower lol I really dont know why i posted this

hahaha

.... yep, wacky ... screen keeps freezing up and the last blog posted 3 times .. I deleted 2

Ah the joys of spring break ... whatever that means in Indonesia.  I guess the girls are more or less staying busy so far.  Good news is that tomorrow (Thurs) we head over to hotel Le Meridian and check in for a couple of days (free vouchers !!!).  There is a great lebanese restaurant there ... which we will take the girls to (they've never been there before).  Not sure what else the we have planned ... but no doubt we will stay busy somehow.

Speaking of staying busy, this has been a horrible, emotional, long week at the office.  After 2 days, I feel beat up ... rode hard / left wet ... and drained.  Thankfully I am taking Thursday and Friday off ... to enjoy time with Decy and the girls - that will help.

Received a call from Beni the manager at Club CJs.  Our tickets/invitation to the Opera are ready.  We will collect them today or Friday.  Unfortunately, 2 folks cancelled out on us so for our table of 10 we only have 8 people so far.  We are trying to flog the other 2 tickets - if we can't, we are out of pocket $300 .... uuuggghhh.

Here's one for you ... about 2 weeks ago, one of Decy's brothers (Dewa) was riding his motorcycle at night (note:  in that part of the city there isn't much street lighting and streets are small).  Anyway, in the middle of the road squats an old homeless lady.  Dewa doesn't see her and she doesn't move.  He hits her with the motorcycle.  Police come - seize Dewa's motorcycle and license.  Dewa takes the old lady to the hospital and pays for her medical care - minor injuries. Police give Dewa back his motorcycle but not his license - they tell him that he must care for the old lady in his home until she is able to take care of herself again (rhetorical: wonder when the last time she was able to take care of herself?).  So, for the last 2 weeks (more or less) Dewa has been caring for the homeless lady - clearly she has no incentive to get better or to leave.

Finally, in desperation, Decy's mother Doortje (and yes, the family is full of "Ds" .... Doortje, Decy, Dolly, Debbie, Dewa, Dona, Dino, etc) takes the bull by the horns and takes the old lady to an old folks home.  The OFH won't accept the lady unless she gets medical clearance.  They take the old lady to the hospital, they check her out - clearance received.  Then the OFH doesn't want to accept the lady because she has no money (duh !!).  Finally after careful and persuasive talking Doortje convinces the OFH that they need to take the old lady because the old lady cannot possibly continue staying with Dewa ......... because ............  Dewa is a Christian and it would be impossible for the old lady (a muslim) to worship and live in that house. NEXT STEP - Get Dewa's license back.

Not much else and no new developments are going on.  Need to close.

Ciao ciao. 

hey everyone

i am bored...i am tried..
mum tomorrow i am going to paws tomorrow to see if they'll let me to help them with animals...so that should be fun

well i am bored so i am out

--meeghan

I don't think i will ever be ungrounded from seeing my best friend :( Grrrr
I have been home for a month, i have gone to Tylers church like 2 times in that month and went to the movies once..... but other then that i have been home!!! And i am going to have to spend this weekend with my sister instead of seeing if i can go to Lanes house.... Grrr not cool :(

moving on,
nothing else has happend, b/c i haven't gone anywhere!!! Blah.
This month has vaccumed for me

How are you people??

Yes, I have nothing to put for a title, be afraid!

Evanescence tomorrow!! No, I'm not excited about it either. I don't know why you would think that.

yesterday was fun... and hot. but amber and i still managed to have fun taking pictures at the square



we are awesome with our walking shot

and really happy faces picture

and feet picture

she's a great friend


so, i have started clinicals this week. and there is so much to learn. i am trying to decide if working in a nursing home is for me though. i would like to try a hospital or doctor's office (if they hire CNA's). i am in this awkward position... most 20 year olds are not really sure what they want to do with their life. and i am no exception to this. however, i guess i feel a bigger need to decide because i am married and perhaps have a little bit more responsibility. i want to do this... and maybe advance to be an LPN or RN... but i also love photography. i am passionate about that. i love anything creative... my soul thrives there. but is it impossible to make a living just doing photography? i am not sure. i don't know... i think i make things way more confusing then they should be. but i just want to be sure... i can only do this once. i am never guarenteed anything... and i want to live it fully doing what i am passionate about... oh goodness.

by the way, you know what makes me mad? people who are mean to each other... and for no reason at all. even if someone is different than you... or not as smart as you... or whatever... that does not mean that they are not a person... they deserve respect and to be treated in a loving way. it hurts me to see that.... anyway...

so yeah... that is an update/whatever. hope you enjoyed. and i hope you have a great night!

Heard of Anathallo?

No? Listen to them.

Yes? Like 'em?

I saw them in concert last Friday night. They seemed sweeeeeeeet to me.

It hurts to see so many blind people.
It hurts to see so many blind people even more blinded by the veil of false Christianity.
To see so many people using Christianity as a filter for their dissipation.
God can't look past that, and it hurts me to see those fooled by the enemy to think He can.
All I can say is He loves you so much.
Please,
Stop playing games with the one who gave all He could give to you.
And surrender.

Decy terminated Pak Mustofa on Monday - the entire process took about 2.5 hours as she walked him through his recent performance, the issue with "majic" being irreparable, and final compensation. Pak Mustofa asked about his returning to the company as a car pool driver (which is what he was doing before) ... we said that we would not say anything negative to prevent him from doing that but we would not give him a "letter of recommendation".  Prior to Mustofa's arrival, several family members came in (as witness and protection) and Decy had Mustofa searched for weapons.

The "protection" issue might seem odd, but it is not.  In fact just last week Jakarta had an incident where a dismissed driver and maid were implicated in the kidnapping of a child. And some dismissed drivers have tried to retaliate by damaging or stealing vehicles.  Its sad - but its a risk that has to be taken.  Hopefully, by treating Mustofa with respect during his employment, and respect during his termination this will not become a bigger issue.

To help close the circle and help the other driver Pak Yono save face ... Decy met with him and gave him a written warning about his involvement in the issue.  Such was not necessary (from our perspective) but allows him to save face as he can say he was disciplined too for his role in the matter.

Decy will meet with the remaining domestic help and give them a clear message that "majic will not be tolerated in this house".  Also, for any future employment contracts, we are going to add such a clause - for the avoidance of doubt.

Now - to find a new driver.

Also, Wiwi the primary maid/cook will begin maternity leave in about 10 days - maternity leave will last 6-9 months.  We think a temporary replacement will show up for an interview this week .... we shall see how that goes ... another transition.  urrrggghhh.

Gotta go ... ciao ciao

-The fact that friends that are two years younger than me are still in high school, and that other friends that are two (or even less) years older than me (or heck, maybe even younger than me) are married. Just an observation I made while on Facebook...
-And Disney World. I've never been there (I'm not lying, and you should take me!) but we watched a video about its inner-workings in one of my classes and it made me want to go so much more badly! I don't think I even realized that it consisted of four seperate theme parks. And all that it entails... wow... it just blows my mind... I want to go!

P.S. I think my second minor is going to be in marketing... The fact that I suddenly have an interest in it also blows my mind...

So, I bought my first tool the other day. I bought a Dremel Tool and it's amazing:

It can drill, grind, sharpen blades, cut, clean, polish, sand, rout, carve, engrave, and do the same job as a RotoZip. It came with a good range of tips allowing me to do most everything, and only specailized areas(such as engraving ceramic.... and stuff like that) were left out.

The reason I bought it:
I am currently building an iguana tank for Lee's science department. While they are paying for the materials, we lacked the tools to do the job. I thought about it and decided that it would be something I would use in the future as well so I bought this tool. I am using it to cut wood and tile, clean the glass (because a scraper wasn't working), sand, and cut screws off (some are sticking out of the wood here and there). It can do it all.... and if you don't have the tip you want for it then the tips cost about $2-$5...

I'm pretty excited about it. I've been messing with it all afternoon.
----------------------------------------------
On another note, I got a 95 on my last math test :-)

A ship in harbor is safe -- but that is not what ships are built for.
John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic, 1928

In B.M. again and I just started my own business, hah. Hope you guys like coffee.

I'm dabbling in the stock market now, I'm thinking about selling a few shares of Google and McDonalds. I just have to wait for these slow-body computers to load. Don't worry none fo this is real, it's a class exercise. I personally don't understand the stock market at all, but I'm trying.

So I'm a little bored.

My grandparents are moving in with us for about a month or two while Pa has radiation therapy. That promises to be interesting to say the least. They might be here in time to see the evening Trilogy (just in time to see Dad beat up Chris). Pa's still really bruised, so they may not come that week.

It's almost time for class to end, so I'll find something else to keep me distraceted.

*EDIT* If anyone has been trying toreach me on my cell, it's currently recuperating from a wild night in Tulsa. I'm hoping it will be better by tonight, but hey things happen

Friendship is like peeing your pants, everyone can see it,

but only you can feel the true warmth

So, it's been awhile.

Updates:

Top Chair @: Mid-state Band, Wind Band Conference, TTU Festival of Winds and Percussion, Mid-state Orchestra

Bad MTSU College Audition, receiving only 1,000 a year.

AWESOME TTU College Audition, receving $34,000 ($18,000 from band and $16,000 from Academic Scholarship.)

DBS Formal was Awesome!

I decided to go to Prom with Giyonna.

8 more weeks until Graduation!

So close to being out of this house.

Danny

everyone please pray for my mom!!!
she is not feelin too great...
the dr's don't know what is wrong..
the medicine only helps barely..
she can't go to the other dr until April 6th...
Pray and please pray hard!!!

Alright before Grace strangles me for not posting anything I thought I would. What kind of things do people write about in these posts??? Am I supposed to tell you all about my life...??? B/c what if I don't want to??? hehe j/k

Anyway, I think I'm going to run to Mexico and become an albino w/ Grace. If Lane's nice we may take her w/ us. The end.

At Jakarta International School, this week is "Spring Break".  That's a bit odd given that we are in the southern hemisphere, which really means it is either (a) fall, or (b) the dry season.  But, guess they didn't want to refer to it as Easter Break ... although they could call it "mid term break".  Anyway, the girls are off from school this week.

I was wanting to take most of the week off and go out of town.  However, between shifting workloads and recent transportation catastrophe's here in Indonesia, we elected to stay in town.   Nevertheless, I am taking off Thursday and Friday.  We have (free) vouchers for 4 nights at hotel Le Meridian (2 we won, 2 were part of a "priority club" pkg).  So, Decy, the girls and I are going to stay at Le Meridian on Thursday and Friday nights .... relax, eat out together, do something different.

As for this past weekend, I did not hash.  Just didn't have the strength in me to go running for 1-1.5 hours especially without someone going with me.  Picked up my tux on Saturday, the sizing and cut is perfect.  But, its a bit big on me in the waist due to recent weight loss - but it is fine and I will "grow into it" over the next weeks and months.

As to the saga of our driver Mustofa, Decy and I have been in long conversations.  We have carefully reviewed his employment contract.  It is not clear that we could suspend him without pay ... and common practice is suspension with pay during investigations .... so, he will be paid his base salary for the past 4 days .... but not any overtime he might have earned.  Decy and I have talked through all the issues - we have determined that the trust that he broke/lost is irreparable.  The emotional trauma he has put Decy through is substantial and not something she will easily get over.  If he is willing to use "majic" to manipulate his job situation, then obviously he is not focussing on doing a good (being safe, and providing a quality service).

Pak Mustofa has been asked to be at our house today (Monday) at 9am for a meeting.  Decy will have 1 or 2 family members here as witnesses (I'm not much good due to the language barriers).  Decy will give Pak Mustofa:  (1) his 3 month evaluation (Jan-Mar), (2) a summary of the situation and showing how he violated 3 of the employment requirements - resulting in termination, effective immediately, and (3) a document that states that he has been fully compensated for his work and has no financial claim against us.  Decy and Pak Mustofa will sign documents #2 and #3.  Document #2 will also have a witness.  As you can appreciate - Decy had a lot of work to do pulling together the appropriate documentation.

** not sure how the meeting will go; it will clearly be stressful and emotional.  Please pray for Decy.

>>> I need to wrap up so I can go to work in a few minutes.

ciao ciao

hey guys, I am new at this! soo just give me some time to get it fixed thanks!

lots of love!

Krista-Chick

I love Africa! The whole continent! The more people I meet from different places, the more I love it. I love Swazi food, South African music, Nigerian clothes (my friend Gori gave me a shirt his mother made), Zambian babies and Pastors from Tanzania. I just... I don't know. Maybe this is God's way of telling me He wants me to go somewhere in Africa. He is turning my heart's gaze to this rich continent... And I can't help myself.

i pretty much hate scholarships. like the essay parts, yeah they suck. but i have to get it done cuz i have like no time when i have school. sooo much stuff to do! senior year is about 4 times as busy as all the other three years of high school combined. btw, if anyone knows of a good scholarship please let me know cuz i desperately need some for mississippi state.

on another note, i love the feeling that theres someone i can trust and they can always make me feel better. its wonderful.

school starts back on monday...if only i could have another week. this week ive had work to do everyday. not much of a break if you ask me. but its better than bein at school

Someone posted this joke, and I honestly can't say it any better...

How many guitarists does it take to screw in a light bulb?

11: one to screw it in, and 10 to bitch about how they could have done it better.

Seriously, what is with the overabundance of people on youtube, who, whenever someone posts themselves playing guitar or a band playing, never fail to complain about how that guitarist/band totally blows?  It's ridiculous.  The worst is whenever someone *gasp* starts to "shred".  It's rock, folks; it's supposed to be over the top.

It's frustrating to know that there will always be a substantial majority of the people who refuse to perform in front of people but would rather critique everyone else to the small minority of people who have the balls to put their stuff out there, moreso if they're amateur, obviously.

Today I was supposed to go to the hash with my friend Hubert, but he can't make it.  Probably just as well ... and I won't go either ... although I am feeling much better, the road to recovery is slow and (a) my strength clearly is down, and (b) my weight still hasn't stablized (down another 1.5 pounds) since Thursday ... in spite of Decy shoving tons of food in me yesterday.

I hear the tailor is done with my tux - maybe we will pick it up today.  No doubt it will be a bit big on me ... but that is fine by me ... I won't be at this weight forever (at least I hope that). Yesterday I read on the internet that vests with tuxes are in ... and cumberbunds are "so 80's" ..... hmmmm .... my tux doesn't have a vest.

I may go for a massage today ... to loosen up my sore body.

As many of you know, I have been playing around with Yahoo Voice lately as an alternative to calling folks at $1.25/minute.  Overall I am really impressed - things don't work well when I'm trying to run Messenger and Voice and the video cam ... but I'm more than happy to "just talk" for $0.01-0.02/minute.  Got up this morning and found a "voice message" from Paul.   Trying to learn how he did that (not sure what he activated on his side) ... but a very nice way to get a message to me without having to type or make an international phone call .... stay tuned.

ciao ciao

Somebody want to explain to me why its better to be optimistic about something and allow yourself to wish that something to happen only to let it get you down when it doesn't happen?  And why, in this case would pessimism be better because then your not let down when something happens, thus making it more exciting when something good does happen?

Just food for thought....

I declared a major today at MTSU. 

I consulted with an
advisor that was trained to help me figure out what majors would suit
my interests last week.  I told him that I planned on being a music
minister and that I would like to major in something that would help
with a job that I could fall back on (I am minoring in music at MTSU). 
So when we put all of my interests into proven charts and things he
suggested to me the major of I/O Psychology

Not
only would a job like this pay me well, but I can also use many of the
techniques that I will learn here in counseling for a church or other
things like that.  That's one of the reasons I picked it. 

I
really would concentrate more on the HR part of it dealing with
people's motivation and job satisfaction.  It sounds like fun to me. 
This is very tentative however, and I'm gonna try the waters with an
introductory course next semester as I'm finishing up the last of my
core classes.  Wish me luck!

Oh.  And don't worry.  I'm still making Music Ministry my main goal. 

okay pplz.... so i had bekah spend the night last night after trilogy practice and i had spent the night with her wednesday... ashlea was there too... and so was rebecca jensen... okay well anyways... we all had alot of fun bcuz we stayed up until like 2 a.m in the mornin.... and we were giving each other pedicures.... well last night i was up most of the night... then me and bekah went on a bike ride... and now she is playing playstation and i am on the computer.... okay well i suppose i will go.... i hope to see you guys (and girls) later.

p.s. please comment and message me bcuz i have not gotten a comment or message in a little while on this thingy... and i am getting sad.... jk.... okay well tootles...

love ya

~Me~

Tomorrow is my birthday. Im not exited about it like i used to be when i was younger. Im not exactly sire if thats a good or a bad thing.

Well everyone has heard Forrest gumps saying: "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get."

well i was bored one day and i thought of my own:

"Life is like canned ham, its full of crap."

Hypothetical question for the Christians out there:

Is 1 person converted to Christianity worth the cost of turning away 1 other person forever because of the tactics used?

Example: If you go door-to-door witnessing to people, and you are able to convert 1 person to Christianity, but... you also cause 1 person to never want to become a Christian because they are fed up with Chrisitans coming door-to-door, is it worth it?

More or less, is a person saved worth a person lost forever as a result of you?

Evey pulls out her mace] I can assure you I mean you no harm.


Evey Hammond:
Who are you?


V:
Who? Who is but the form following the function of what and what I am is a man in a mask.


Evey Hammond:
Well I can see that.


V:
Of course you can. I'm not questioning your powers of observation I'm
merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.

Evey Hammond:
Oh. Right.


V:
But on this most auspicious of nights, permit me then, in lieu of the
more commonplace sobriquet, to suggest the character of this dramatis
persona.

V:
Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both
victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere
veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished.
However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands
vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin
van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious
violation of volition.

[carves V into poster on wall]


V:
The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in
vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the
vigilant and the virtuous.

[giggles]


V:
Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me
simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me
V.

Evey Hammond:
Are you like a crazy person?


V:
I am quite sure they will say so.

soooooo
just got back from eurpoe and finally catched up on my sleep

so hows everyone doing?

anyways this is goint to be a very long blog seeing as everyone has
missed out on a week of my life and everyone needs to know about it
in short
it was cold dirty and the people in paris are ruder than those in london but they have better food

so i guess i should beghin at the beginning seeing as that is where stories usually begin
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
wed 14/3/07
departure for london
went to choir practice for 2 hours and got out of school unlike several hundred other people
got to start my spring break 3 days early
went home and made sure i packed everything and rode to the airport with edwards and her parents
looooong plane rides
2 hours to Detroit

inside joke IS THAT A MUFFIN? And mutant hand

 9 hours to london
it becomes thursday somewhere in the air

thurs 15/3/07
met julie my tourguide (we call her mum)

hung out with swiftie's mom a.k.a. mummie

met coach driver a.k.a. lawrence=coolest guy in london :P

WE'RE IN LONDON♥!!!!

we go to the airport and the customs people act like we're the scum of the earth but at this point i don't really care

we get to go to windsor castle♥i thought it was pretty cool
i didn't take any pictures because i forgot my camera in my cheked bag

went to mcdonald's where kalli decides to try and pay the guyin euros
and he looked at us like we were crazy btw chicken strips were 6 pounds
that's $12! but mcdonalds there has deli sandwiches and muffins
we got some good fudge though and the guy that was selling it was really nice and cute
saw the castle
very big
and pretty
and had lots of shiny stuff in it
went to the hotel (i was roomed with laura beth)
ate dinner there it was pretty good
didn't get any mashed potatoes but
their cake was amazing
and stayed up talking
took a nice shower
kindof got sleep

fri 16/3/07
laughed because you were still in school
ate breakfast

Drove around in a coach w/lawrence

saw michael jackson

bought a fadora♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

saw les meserables and it was Mazing!!!!

sat 17/3/07

woke up

ate an orange

went
to a church and wasted an hour practicing (stupidness) had our concert
and met a cute little french woman who missed the concert and she was
sad because she missed it :{

spent 3 hours at
harrods (well actually we only spent like an hour there we spent the
rest of the time at hyde park having a picnic :})

ate dinner [fish&&chips!!!!]

then went on a giant bicycle wheel and saw london from waaaaaaaaaaaaay up high

packed for paris

said bye to lawrence :'{

sun 18/3/07

got on a ferry (this was fun)

saw dover (pretty)

got my sea legs and saw people get sick

oh and also learned how to be posh (air hair lair)♥

got some amazing spaghetti

and the mostest amazing chocolate mousse in the entire world

went to the eiffel tower and it was cold windy and raining and we got attacked by some crazy salesmen

mon 19/3/07

saw paris on the autobus

went to the louvre

saw lots of sculptures

and the mona lisa (it wasn't that amazing)

went shopping

spent all my $$$$$

ate some good mashed potatoes and some weird sorbet

went to a church

i didn't go

we went to see artists in a little square

freakout at the end of the day

tues 20/3/07

went to versailles

got attacked by salespeople

went shopping

saw versailles castle

more shopping

ate dinner[creme caramel is GROSS!]

PACKED FOR DEPARTURE

wed 21/3/07

went home

i posted some of my pics that i took in chicago.

So I get this strange SMS from Decy right in the middle of an all day meeting.  Something is clearly wrong, she is upset and she needs to talk about it - Read on.

As background, we pay our drivers very well relative to other drivers.  We pay them well relative to "professional" drivers, and we pay them extremely well relative to "regular" drivers.  We know this, and we've always known this.  We have set extremely high demands/expectations on our drivers and we expect them to perform.  Their base salary is based on a 60 hour week - overtime pay begins after 60 hours. They run errands for us.  They pay bills for us.  Sometimes they go shopping for us.  They do not sit idle.

People talk - doesn't matter the culture or country.  Decy has been going to some of the expat ladies teas and one of the subjects is salaries for domestic help.  We are careful what we say as we recognize we are on the upper end of "normal".  We only quote base salaries and we remind folks that its based on a 60 hour week.  But, just like the ladies talk so do the drivers .... and Pak Yono and Pak Mustafa know they are well paid.  Its their call, but they normally lie about (play down) their salaries.

Well, it seems that Pak Mustafa had suddenly decided that he needed to "protect" his salary and to ensure he always had favor with us.  So, what did he do ... he went out and found somebody who practices majic.  Don't know what all that person did ... but what we do know is that:  (a) Pak Mustafa washed one of our cars with "majic water", (b) put "majic water" in our windshield wiper fluid, (c) put "majic water" and something in writing (some type of spell or prayer) in our car, and (d) put something in writing in his wallet to link him to us.

As of right now, Pak Mustafa is suspended without pay - so much for majic !  We have replaced the windshield wiper fluid, and we have removed the thing from the car.  Additionally, we have prayed for and layed hands on both cars as well as the house and everything in and around it .... as well as the people passing thru its doors.

I don't believe in "majic" - and from what I've seen it is pretty much illusions, superstition, and use of drugs - at least here in Indonesia.  I know we have a God that is all knowing and all powerful.  What bothers me the most about this incident, is (a) the invasion on our privacy (ergo his thinking he had the right to put something in/on our car), and (b) the concept that his salary (and our minds) could be based on "majic" instead of job performance.

As I understand it, one of the things he was "hoping to achieve" was that whatever he said or did that we would "always agree with him" and that we would never reduce his salary.  With this concept, then, theoretically he could become a lousy performer, not meet the expectations, but still demand (and get) salary increases. WRONG !!

Don't know if/when we will allow Pak Mustafa to return to work.  His timing was very bad for him ... next week is spring break ... we don't need 2 drivers for most of the next 10 days.

One thing we ARE doing is sending a very strong signal/message to our staff directly (through discussions) and indirectly by our actions that "majic will not be tolerated nor allowed in our house".  We are reminding everybody that we treat them with respect and honor; we don't look down on them; we don't yell at them; we don't hit them. We allow them to eat our food, drink our water, and to be comfortable in/around the house. We allow them to worship when and how they want to (all are muslims).

What is and must always be clear is that there is no place for majic in this house - and any acts of such will be dealt with quickly and appropriately, up to and including termination of employment. From my perspective, majic and theft are the offenses that will be dealt with severely .... laziness and or incompetence can be addressed through coaching and counselling .... lack of skills can be addressed through training and teaching.

Well ... so much for this blog ... time to go to work.

chiiiiiiicaaaagoooo!!!!!!!

One of the most popular political conflicts this election season is shaping up to be the primary showdown between Hillary Clinton (henceforth referred to as Hill) and Borat Osama (or however you spell his name).  Yes, that's a joke.

Anyway, this article is not about the political showdown, but about a particularly exciting ad that was run on YouTube.  What happened was a guy, acting entirely on his own time (a couple hours, according to him), made a video parodying an '80's Apple commercial depicting a 1984-esque world.  In this commercial, though, Hill was depicted as a Big Brother-type character, with Obama being supported in the end.

First - This commercial was of a much higher quality/caliber than your typical, ordinary political commercial.  You know what I mean: political commercials suck ass as far as quality goes.  It's as if they spend so much friggin money on everything but their most valuable advertisements.

Second - Some political analysts are actually taken aback by the awesome influence that a simple private citizen can work out in a short amount of time.  This is starting to look a little bit more like a government by the people.

Third - The man who made the commercial was employed by a company that does political advertising and is contracted to Obama.  However, he claims that he quit to keep them from being connected to it while they claim that they fired him over it.  What happened?  Who cares?!?  This guy could do work for any political organization and do a hell of a lot better than they're doing now.

--------------------------------------------

On a completely different note, at 6:27 tonight, Memphis tips off against Texas A&M.  This should be a good game.

This will be my last post for awhile because there are some things at this point in my life that I need to get through. I don't need this as a distraction. So to those of you I love dearly keep me updated in other ways....I won't be checking posts for a long time.

Mark 10:27

27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

so i got nothing to do...
my spring break hasn't been very good so far... but at lest i dont have to do school! :) I am happy about that :P My best friend just got back from Hawaii, i got to hang out with her tonight and that was really good!! AND i got to see all my other friends, so that was nice!! But i haven't got to go anywhere on my break!! maybe i will run to Mexico and become an ALBINO (lol inside j/k) lol anyways... Well yeah just thought i should  up-date! :P

Grace~~~

I gave blood yesterday.

i was scared to death.

but i did it anyway : ]

i am SO proud of me!!!

AND District Festival was increadible. we played 3 crazy pieces, totally pulled them off, and got insane reviews. : ]

i dont mean to brag, honest. im just really super excited!!! : ]

As some of you know, yesterday I was able to activate and test Yahoo Voice. Overall quality is pretty good with about 80% of the time a near perfect sound (even calling from Indonesia to a US handphone) ... the other 20% was garbled, but not a particularly big deal.  For the garbled times, that generally was associated with times when my PC fan came on ... so it may have been due to background noise - a headset should help in this regard. Cost of calling is about $0.01 per minute.

Yahoo Voice also has a "call in" feature where family could call me ... basically, for $30/yr I would set up a US-based phone number (thru Yahoo) and anybody could call me and ring the computer.  There is also a wireless Yahoo phone that then allows you to "untether" from the PC.  A friend is going to test that process in a couple weeks when his phone arrives.  If it works, I may follow suit.  In the meantime, at now I have a way to call family at a reasonable price. Also, prices to other countries are nearly a cheap and typically run in the $0.02 to $0.08 per minute range.

I'm also trying to play around with sitesbygeeks.  Its not particularly complicated, but it isn't intuitive to me either. I've done a test blog and actually (accidently, sort of) posted a pic in it .... I had used the "tree" icon that Chris told me about but got confused and nothing happened ... but there was a option below that which added the pic. Adding pics to a gallery is much more straightforward to me.  Anyway, I'm learning.

Went on antibiotics on Sunday - just couldn't overcome the stomach bug on my own.  Can't recall if the issue has been ongoing 3 weeks or 4 weeks ... but enough's enough.  Antibiotics are working - stomach is sensitive but stablizing ... now if only my weight would - it has continued to drop all week.  This thing has cost me 10 pounds ... which has made getting a tux made quite a challenge as my size keeps changing (shrinking) so the tailor doesn't know whether or not to "tighten up" the tux or not ... I've told him to leave some room for when I "return to normality" otherwise, I'll end up with a beautiful but too small tux.

Gotta run ... time for work.

ciao ciao

I've begun a process, a difficult one for me.  Since music has always been one of the centers in my life, getting rid of all the music I have is equivalent to ripping out a piece of my heart; but the further I get into to doing this purge (so to speak), the better it feels to me to do it.

I don't feel that the music I've listened to is necessarily bad altogether for everyone: please don't misunderstand that point.  Metal, however, has been such a focus in my life that I feel it has consumed time away from God.  In doing these things such as trashing music magazines and cds and such the like, I feel like I can release all these things to God.  I'm not getting rid of my guitar, but if God wants me to, I will have to do it.

Furthermore, I don't expect people to understand why this must be, but I believe it's a part God has wanted to do in my life for a long time.

Well if you guys want to see some of my pictures from Ireland, go to this link.
Yeah, be jealous.. :)
http://leeu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021337&l=0ef35&id=66501771

Great movies, great song.

    It’s the middle of
Spring Break, and so far things are going very well. Mom said something about
cleaning, but that was an hour ago and so far we’ve done nothing of that sort.

        Okay, okay,
how nuts is it that someone has called my house 15 freakin times? Yeah.

   Now I’m nodding
along to Blindside, and I’m getting a little bored. Somebody call me or
something. I’m trying to avoid cleaning at all (well almost all) costs.

Things are changing, and fast. Last week was kinda odd. Life is in this really wierd stage right now, but I have to admit that I kind of like it.

Lot of decision/opportunity coming up in the next couple months. Prayer would be awesome and really appreciated.

-I heard a Christmas song on the radio yesterday.
-There might be a film major at MTSU soon.
-I have NO idea what to take next semester other than Single Camera Directing and Producing (which should be good - woot!).
-I have no idea what to with the two million electives I am forced to take because my major requires so little (since, mind you, these potential film classes probably won't count, since that would make too much sense).
-I have to file my upper-division form this semester... and as you can tell from the previous points, (minus the thing about the Christmas song) I'm unsure of what to do besides minor in psychology...

Uh... help?

My first practice for Trilogy II was last night, it shall be intereasting. I get to be covered in lots of blood and get beat up to the point of exhaustion followed by death. I have to admit though that while my acting may not be great, the song and the setting really make the performance hit home. It should be really good and everyone who reads this should come. Call or message me for more info.

I guess that yesterday was a bad day for teen drivers because last night  I got pulled over for being drunk and driving but of course I wasnt. The intire time that I was pulled over Hannah B. was siting there laughing her head off. The police officer let me of with a warning

I don't know who, if anyone, was wondering why I was feeling so sickly and gross over break and such. Tests are in and I am "iron deficient." Not all the way anemic. This doesn't make sense, because I am supposed to not feel sick at all if I am borderline. I guess my body just loves iron...

Anyway, some iron pills will fix me up just fine, and I only have to take them until I am back to normal, if there is such a thing with me.

Sucks and I really don't want to have to go but I guess I am going to since if I don't show up I will both lose my licence and be arrested on a $5000 bond......now I am sure alot of you are wondering what I did to incure such a large offence well just to let you know you really have to be careful when you drive next to people now a days cause the cops might think you are drag racing.......totally not kidding I was told I was drag racing down Broad St. going over 100 mph......now here is the major problem with that my car will only go over 100mph if I am slamming the gas and have it in 5th gear......which neither was going on so I don't understand where they got 100.......but I will hopefully get off with a minor speeding ticket or get off with nothing on me at all......but if something happens and they try to stick the citation well then I already have a lawyer to take the case who said I have a good chance of winning as it is.......well wish me luck and I'll see you cats later....peace

so omg.

sunday is my new favorite night to go to the club. i've never been hit on by so many people in one night. ;)

i met some REALLY amazing people. saw some great friends. made some amazing new friends. got a few numbers.

fun stuff.

and i went to cafe coco afterwards - definitly didn't get home till 5:30 this morning. hahahaha.

spring break 07!!

After a long (4 day) sickly weekend, I am heading back to work.  This was, once again, not the way I had planned my weekend.  Argh. I finally threw in the towel about taking some medication.  Somewhere between getting the tux worked on (and finding out my measurements are changing (ergo shrinking) ... and just getting sick of being sick.  Anyway, I'm on antibiotics.

Have a hectic week coming and next week is "spring break" here ... I was hoping to take off most of the week, but will only be able to take Thursday and Friday off.

I'm tired of paying $1.25 a minute for calls to my family. So, I am going to try Yahoo Voice, a VOIP calling system.  I have most things set up and think everything is ready to go ... but STUPID Yahoo ... sent a "small" (<$1) charge to my credit card as a test ... I have to confirm the amount before the account is activated.  Frustrating part is that Yahoo has used that credit card before ... including just a week ago ... so here I sit for days and days waiting for the posting of the charge ... so I can "confirm" the amount and activate Yahoo Voice.

Once activated, the calls are free pc-to-pc and about $0.01 to $0.02 per minute into the US pc-to-phone.  Hopefully the quality is ok - this is Indonesia and the infrastructure isn't always that good ... many folks cannot use Vonage nor Skype .... so I'm trying this.

That's all ... gotta run.

ciao ciao

hi everyone i am going to make an effort to blog at least once evry day. i am currently spending quality time in maryland with my family... yesterday i got ot see some of my cousins whom i havn't seen before.... its amazing how people change over the years. so other than that i am doing wonderful! ttyl

oh check out my new pics

I flipped my car over yesterday, it was quite a harrowing expreience. I am ok, nothing broken, I am just very very sore. I have posted pictures on my website if anyone is interested

http://www.amazinzay.com

Please explain to me why, every time an older adult (typically 20+ years older than you) gets into an argument or a debate, they use a blanket statement such as "You're too young to understand or make a good point that I'll recognize."  That is the most disrespectful thing I can think of: if you're making a point, you're making a point, regardless of your age.  Get over the fact that some younger than you might actually have something to say of importance.

We’re watching Son-in-Law, one of the best movies EVER! You
gotta love Pauly Shore.

So yeah, pretty sure it’s SPRING BREAK!! I plan on sleeping
all day tomorrow, or at least not getting out of bed all day. I don’t care if the
house catches fire, I’ll stay in bed!

 

Dad, Camden, and I went to Jamestown this weekend
for a benefit thingy for Pa. There was a cakewalk, auction, and a raffle for a
really pretty quilt that I helped Nana make. Personally I wanted myself, but we
made a ton of money selling the tickets. I think I’ll live.

 In the mean time I
won a Red Velvet cake and a Devil’s Food cake, anybody want some?

i watched ALL 6 Star War movies!!
1-6 in one day! It was 13 hours in all!! But how many people can say they have watched them all in ONE day!! Yeah well now i can!! :P lol
I started watching them at Noon Saturday and finished at 1 am Sunday!! :P lol

Weird i know....but so much fun!! :P lol

So God has been answering tiny prayers all around me and I'm so grateful. It seems like decisions are coming together and the wedding planning has been kinder to me. I think I've finally decided on a potential color scheme and I'm pretty excited about it.

This weekend has been spent moving my things over to my parent's new house. It's sad to think that it's probably my last house with them. I will be getting the queen sized bed and furniture for it. It's a cute house though. Gray and I will be back in two weeks and we'll get to stay in it then.

So, as I mentioned previously, along with school and wedding planning, I am preparing and raising money for a mission trip to Sweden. Last night I had a strange dream about it and today I actually got some money from my aunt and my mother agreed to help me finish my deposit money. This afternoon I've been busy printing off address labels and business cards (I'm going to attach magnets and send them with my support letters).

My weekend has apparently disappeared. Next week is one that I'd rather not even think about. Today, in a few hours, we'll head back to Murfreesboro and go by Jenny Rone's house. I need to drop off my deposit and forms for Sweden and she's hosting a welcome home party for my Teresa! She's back from Japan for two weeks and it was so great to see her on Thursday. She's definitely different but the same sweet person at the same time. I didn't realize how much I had missed her, but I'm realizing as I grow older, people aren't ever fully gone, they are always there.

So there's that.. I've got a Theory solfege exam tomorrow (supposedly), I've got a fairy tale due in Storytelling, but I think he might give me until Thursday, thankfully. School has really caught up with me. I also have an article that will be in Sidelines on Wednesday and another one coming soon. My week is going to be extremely busy and I need to make sure I'm doing other stuff involving my practicum. Who knew school could be so crazy busy?

I can't wait for the summer.

So I typed out most of what I wanted to share with y'all about New York in a Word document, and then I sort of stopped because I was tired of it. And then I never got back to it. And then the longer ago the trip was the less I cared about finishing it. And then I remembered that it was boring and journalistic anyhow (what I wrote, not the trip of course)! So in a nutshell...

It was great fun, freezing cold, challenging, and engaging. Ipassed out a lot of flyers and assembled a lot of Easter eggs. I talked to a Roman Catholic who believes that most any way to heaven is a good way. I talked to a guy who says that the Germans are the most decent and good people on earth and that mathematics holds the answers to the universe. I prayed earnestly over the city as God opened my eyes to the lonliness and pain there.

I survived on a diet of true NY style pizza, various forms of chicken (everything from strips to quesadillas to burritos), a tough cookie, bitter pasta, an amazing chocolate sundae, Airheads, a Subway meatball sandwich (I'm not a fan of Subway.. just for the record), chocolate muffins, water, Starbucks' white chocolate mocha, breakfast bars, and I think about one or two pieces of fruit. I walked five flights of stairs and a few miles every day, and stood for hours that week in various subways and subway stations.

I stayed in a cramped room with five other girls and orange walls. I dodged a leaking sink every morning and night. I broke a shower door. I slept in the JFK airport at 3 AM in the morning.

I endured freezing wind chills and snow.

I experienced paintings by Picasso. I browsed Tiffany's. I saw Phantom of the Opera.

I had an absolute blast... it's definitely in my Top 3 for mission experiences (you have to realize how many mission trips I've been on for that to sound pretty elite... just know that it is). But most importantly, what did I learn from my experience?

I must confess, I stopped having spiritual highs for every trip/retreat/camp/etc. that I went to a few years ago. I got to the point where those didn't really cut it anymore. Only an earth-shattering experience with Him unlike any other is going to give me that feeling of elation.

All that being said, I never experienced a high from this trip. I knew that God was using me but I didn't feel useful. I knew that I was potentially reaching people, but it didn't seem like it. And to me, more than passing out flyers or talking to people on the street or anything else, I felt the most engaged in reaching New York City when praying for the people there... which I can do right here! And not only can I pray for the people there here, but I can also pray for those here who need Him, and those elsewhere who need Him, in places I may never see.

This past Friday night, Garrett took me out to Red Robin. While we were sitting there waiting for our food, I saw a friend of mine from high school (he's younger though and is a senior this year) working there. I called his name and we spoke briefly. He didn't give me many details, but he told me that he had read The Case for Faith (the student edition), a book I had presented to because he seemed willing to read about any religion except Christianity, and said that he found it "informative". That in itself gave me joy and encouragement. Ever since I left that classroom, I've been praying for this guy. Not everyday, but whenever I think of him I pray for him. And it seems that now he is one step closer than he was the last time I saw him.

I can't believe how many times I've dismissed the power of prayer. And I'm so excited to witness a glimmer of how God is working through me in others' lives! If my only reason for living was to reach out to this guy, that would be fine. If that was all God had in His grand plan, it would be ok. And yes, I am pretty much just saying that, with hope that it isn't true, but I also sincerely believe that whatever I am living for, regardless of whether it seems big or small to me or others, is good enough for God, because He created me with a purpose in mind.

All that being said, I am seeing how God might want to use me here. There's that girl in one of my classes that really needs to experience His love. There's the final project in TV Production I am doing with John, Jolene, and Sully, that's going to be about a missionary. There's the documentary I feel like I'm supposed to make next summer for my honors thesis. There's my daily life I am to live for His glory in every way possible, even if it doesn't seem like much.

That's the challenge I have taken from New York. That's the part that matters: living as one who is sent in my daily life. I'm working on praying more, being a better witness, and listening...  listening to where God wants me to go. I don't want to fret anymore about tomorrow... He's got a handle on it. He's been taking care of me.

Speaking of which, in case you haven't heard the news, my dad got a new job! My family is so incredibly excited! It feels like we're finally getting settled here. So anyhow, now he's going to be working at MTSU, so we're also all centralized in one location, which is really neat!

One last word... if you're somewhere in life where you feel defeated by your circumstances, just look up. God's working behind the scenes for you... I promise. I've waited YEARS to see my dad get a job like this, and God has chosen this time to bless my family. And I know that His time is the best time. Waiting for the best is worth it... period.

What's up guys?

The heart has its reasons which reason knows not of.

Blaise Pascal

Finaly bloging sorry school started and killed me and I see almost all of you every week any way

so tonight was awsome.

im actually really glad i stayed in wind ensemble. even tho i still dont like prague, and i think its really an ugly ugly piece, it was super cool to play for all those ppl.

we got a lot of clapping : ] and pretty much everyone there stood up for us. even the JUDGES!

and O Magnum made ppl on stage with me cry [even the director], and my friend who was watching said she was on the verge of tears, listening.

p.r.e.t.t.y. cooooool.

yeah, that and some ppl suck, and i think will probably always suck, when it comes to ppl skills. this on ein particular is 3 letters, with an A in the middle.

p.s. i have to loose about 4 lbs by saturady. wooooo lightweight.